Weird Ways That Sports May Change

Before all of this, we never thought twice about a quarterback licking his fingers as he's about ready to snap the ball, but seeing it now might cause us to worry about his immune system. Athletes may kick that habit and others too.

A quarterback gets the ball from the center's sweaty hands and then hands it off to a sweaty running back or throws it to a sweaty receiver. And before the next play, he usually licks his fingers and puts his hands under the rear of the sweaty center and starts all over. Unless the referee has Clorox wipes in his pocket and rubs it down between plays, the pigskin will be carrying a germ or two.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said he’s making a conscious effort from now on to not lick his fingers before he throws. The Detroit Free Press said postgame handshakes and hugs could become a thing of the past too, and players might be clicking cleats together instead. After a hard-fought Seahawks-49ers game this fall, Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo might be tapping toes afterward.

Nobody spits more than a baseball player, and that habit will have to change too. Major League Baseball has a new plan that will, among other things, force players to stop spitting. Can you imagine the spit storm that would take off on Twitter a minute after a pitcher hocked a loogie from the mound on national television? Respiratory droplets everywhere. In addition to the spitting ban, MLB is discouraging post-game showers (ewww), and players who won't be getting into the game right away may be sitting in the stands to create social distance from the rest of the team. Fans won't be in the stands so that makes room for a bigger bench, and only active players will be in the dugout. With all of the changes, how will the players be able to concentrate on the game?

These are just a couple of the ways players may be impacted as sports crank up again. We know fans could be wearing masks, sitting further apart in stadiums, and/or watching from home if leagues don't allow fans in the arenas. This may take some getting used to.